“We all have a responsibility to protect our environment,” said Vic La Rosa, the president of TTSI. “I’m delighted that TTSI took a lead role to put our new Kenworth T800 LNG trucks into service to help reduce emissions, and provide cleaner air at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and in the region.”

Kenworth states that it is offering the first alternative fuel vehicles to operate in full-time drayage service at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, under the Clean Trucks Program, a California emission reduction program.

The eight Kenworth T800s are equipped with the LNG fuel system developed by Westport Innovations of Vancouver, B.C., and installed on the Cummins ISX 15-litre engine. The Kenworth trucks have Westport’s high pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology, and use 5% diesel and 95% natural gas to power the drivetrain. Running on clean, low-carbon LNG fuel, TTSI will realize greenhouse gas emission reductions of approximately 20% and nitrogen oxide emissions reductions of over 75%, compared to the diesel vehicles being replaced, says Westport Innovations.

La Rosa said TTSI expects drivers to realize significant savings in their fuel costs since liquefied natural gas costs about 25% less per gallon than diesel fuel. Also, it appears that LNG trucks travel about the same or greater distance on natural gas as the company’s diesel-powered trucks on a comparable amount of diesel fuel, he said.

The new Kenworth T800 LNG trucks are working so well for TTSI, that the company will take delivery of 30 more later this summer, and plans to eventually replace half of its 300-truck fleet with the alternative fuel trucks, said La Rosa.

Kenworth plans to go into full production of the Kenworth T800 LNG trucks in 2009 at the company’s manufacturing facility in Renton, Wash.

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